St Helen and St Katharine has achieved a national ranking of 20th for sport in School Sport Magazine’s Top 200 sporting schools of 2025. St Helen’s also ranks as the top school for sport in Oxfordshire – and in Abingdon – and the top 6 girls’ school for sport in the country.
This news follows the School’s recent ranking as the top 5 girls’ schools in the Southeast, and the top school in Abingdon for the fifth consecutive year in The Times Parent Power 2026 schools’ guide.
Charlotte Barras, Director of Sport, said: “To be recognised among the top 20 schools for sport in the country is something we are extremely proud of. Our placing this year highlights the depth of opportunity available to St Helen’s students and the consistently high standards across our sports programme. The year-on-year progress we are seeing is particularly rewarding, and I would like to thank and congratulate every student who has contributed through their commitment, enthusiasm and effort.”
Sports Captain, Alice (Upper Sixth), said: “It never ceases to amaze me how much sport is always going on at St Helen’s. From rock climbing to netball, badminton to dance and lacrosse to football, we have many teams representing the school at county, regional and national level. I think the secret to our HelKats’ success is the outstanding levels of participation across the School, a great PE department with an excellent strength and conditioning programme and, most importantly, the fact everyone has a lot of fun and builds great friendships along the way.”
St Helen and St Katharine has also recently been included in The Cricketer Schools Guide 2026 in recognition of its cricket achievements, including reaching four national finals in 2025 and securing a place among the UK’s top 20 girls’ schools for cricket for the third consecutive year.
St Helen’s other sporting successes over the past year include the U15B lacrosse team becoming national champions, the U15 tennis team reaching the regional knockouts of the prestigious Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) Schools Competition for the first time, and the U13 and U15 cross country teams competing in the national finals after qualifying for the ESAA Schools’ Cross Country Cup.